


Of Pregnancy, Country Clubs, and Karen Brewer

by bloodredcherries



Series: Sharon/Richard Series [6]
Category: Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-09
Updated: 2012-01-09
Packaged: 2017-10-29 06:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/316613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodredcherries/pseuds/bloodredcherries
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year after the fire, Sharon finds herself pregnant...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Pregnancy, Country Clubs, and Karen Brewer

A month after school is out, two-and-a-half months after they moved into the renovated barn, Sharon Spier finds herself pregnant. She and Richie were sort of, but not technically, trying, and she is surprised that she gets pregnant the month they start, but is a bit relieved.

It has been nearly twelve years since the last one, after all.

Richie is cautious, but relaxes a bit once they go to her first doctor's appointment and find that everything is fine. She starts to tell people, starting with Dawn, Jeff, and Mary Anne.

Dawn and Jeff are happy for her, though poor Jeff seems a bit grossed out by having a pregnant mother at his age. Dawnie and her keep in touch via email, and she's constantly asking her questions about the pregnancy, and she even suggests that she stop being a vegetarian for the duration.

Sharon is relieved, because since Dawn and Jeff moved out to California again, she's been re-intergrating meat into her diet, pregnant or not pregnant. No, she's not shoveling down disgusting processed lunch meats or hotdogs, not at all, but it wasn't very fair to make poor Richie and Mary Anne eat her tofu delights, and she hadn't quite forgotten the Thomas-Brewers' attempts at making vegetarian meals during their stay after the fire. The meals themselves were fine, it was more Kristy's ever so appetizing comments about flaxseed and tofu and comparing it to roadkill. At every meal.

Every time he sees her, Richie kisses her and tells her that she's beautiful, even when she disagrees.

It makes her blush, and stammer uncontrollably, but it makes her feel so special, and he knows it.

Mary Anne thinks that they're adorable, and she agrees, but she just knows that Jeff would be play gagging if he saw them being all, well, touchy feely.

She doesn't really want to tell her parents, but Mary Anne is of the delusion that they will be thrilled (Sharon of course knows otherwise), and Richie is telling nearly everyone in town, so she knows she has to.

It goes as poorly as she expects.

 

***

Mary Anne starts her sophomore year of high school, Richie goes to the courthouse to defend a major client, and Sharon tells her parents that she is pregnant with Richie's child during their lunch at the country club, knowing that Rita and Charles Porter wouldn't dare make a scene in front of all of their fellow society members, and that holds true. Though their eyes are filled with disapproval, Rita simply sips her glass of sherry and Charles sips his scotch, and she allows herself to relax, half-heartedly eating her chef's salad. She thinks back to when it was Jack and her announcing that they were pregnant with Dawnie and Jeffy, and she remembers them being happy, or at least pretending to be. Of course, they liked Jack. He was "respectable".

She sighs, sipping her sparkling water, knowing that she really wanted a root beer, but she didn't want to actually make them mad at her. She hates discussing Touchy Subjects with them. Hates it.

She has been married to Richie for over a year at this point, and she knows that they want her to leave him, that they were hoping she'd see sense or something ridiculous like that by this point, despite the fact that they know that they're happy together, that Jack and Carol are happy together, and that their ideas, their fantasies of Sharon and her ex-husband getting back together again are pointless, but the least they could do was be happy for her. Or pretend, at least.

The bill comes, and not a moment too soon, because the combination of sparkling mineral water and disgusting chef's salad, along with her parents' obvious disapproval, is beginning to make her stomach turn.

"Aren't you happy for me?"

Neither Rita nor Charles responds, and she starts to cry, not caring that everyone in the restaurant notices, not caring that they're her parents obnoxious friends.

"Sharry, stop being a baby!"

She hates that nickname. She doesn't know what's come over her, whether it's her hormones, or thirty-six years of pent up frustration, or the fact that she's just so sick of them trying to control her life, and she finds herself positively screaming at her mother.

"You know what? Fuck you! I don't care if you're happy for me or not! Just-fuck you, Mom, fuck you! And never call me fuckin' Sharry again!"

Her mother slaps her across the face, and she storms out of the country club, deciding to walk home.

For the first time, in her entire life, Sharon Spier actively hates her parents.

***

Mary Anne, who has never had a younger sibling, is thrilled to find out that she'll be having a half-brother or sister, and though Sharon's mood has been appropriately ruined by her parents lack of interest in their future grandchild, she somehow manages to cheer her up by promising to crochet the baby a blanket and to knit it little hats and booties, which she gets a head start on, even though Sharon is only barely three months pregnant and is barely showing and they don't even know what they're having yet.

"Honestly, Sharon, I don't know why they're not speaking to you. You'd think they'd be happy about the baby, even though they don't particularly like Dad."

She sighs, raking her hands through her thick blonde hair, debating whether or not she should tell Mary Anne the real reason why Rita and Charles are currently giving her the silent treatment.

"Honey, that's not really why they're mad at me."  
"But that's what Dawn said. I don't understand it, of course."  
"They're mad because I might have caused a scene at the country club while I was telling them about the baby. I just got so angry at them, and I sort of exploded."  
"Is that where you got the mark on your face?"

It's been a week, and though the welt from where her mother's rings got her is slightly better, it's still noticeable, and she touches it, nodding.

"My mom hit me. I might have deserved it. I did tell her to fuck off."  
"But she must have done something to deserve it. Have you been treating it?"

She shakes her head, causing her stepdaughter to cluck at her in impatience.

"Sorry, Mary Anne."  
"It's okay. Come here, I'll do it."

She lets Mary Anne dab the bacitracin on her wound, kissing her on the cheek, and she finds herself in a bear hug.

"Thanks, honey."  
"You're welcome. Do you want to go to Cabbages and Kings? My treat."

The thought of vegetarian fare makes her stomach turn, ever so slightly, and she shakes her head. She wants pizza.

"How about Pizza Express?"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah."  
"Okay. Are you sure?"  
"Yes, I'm sure. Come on, let's go. And I can pay for it, honey."  
"You sure?"  
"Yes. I want some pizza."

Mary Anne looks as if she's going to faint from shock when Sharon orders the pepperoni pizza, and she smiles innocently.

"I thought you didn't like meat!"  
"I'm not Dawn, Mary Anne. I eat meat. And desserts."

She takes a bite of the pizza, picturing the look of horror that would be on Dawnie's face if she could see them, and she smirks, continuing to speak.

"Besides, it would make sense that the baby makes me crave some of your father's favorite foods, wouldn't it?"  
"Really? Already?"  
"Yeah. Already? Mary Anne, I've been pregnant for three months!"  
"I know. How are you feeling?"

She smiles, taking a sip of her drink. Mary Anne was so sweet.

"Fine, honey. I'm doing okay. How's school going?"  
"Fine. I wish that Cokie and Logan weren't going out, though."  
"Why? You two broke up almost a year ago. It's not like he cheated on you with her."  
"I know. It's just that it's Cokie, Sharon. She hates me."  
"Still?"  
"Uh-huh."  
"I'm sorry, honey."  
"It's not your fault."  
"I know. I am sorry, though."

They finished their first slices of pizza.

"Were you jealous of my mom?"  
"Honey, I met her once, I think? And I was already married to Jack, and she made your father happy, so not really, I don't think."  
"You met her?"  
"Yeah, when Peaches got married, I was her bridesmaid, and Richie, Jack, your mother and I met for lunch one day when we were in town for the wedding."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah."  
"What was she like?"  
"Oh, Mary Anne..."

She barely remembered meeting Alma.

"...she was shy, and quiet, and I think Jack frightened her a bit, you know how obnoxious he can be, but she seemed to love your father."  
"Thanks, Sharon."  
"You're welcome, honey. I'm sorry you don't have a mother."

Her stepdaughter looks her in the eye.

"What are you talking about? I have you, don't I?"  
"What?"  
"I never knew my mom, Sharon, and you've been a wonderful stepmother and I kinda consider you to be like my mother. I mean obviously my birth mother is technically my real mother, but you're the one that's helping Dad raise me."  
"Thank you, honey."

She's crying, and she can't help it, but at least it isn't because her mother smacked her on the face this time.

***

She is at the grocery store, where, of all the unfortunate combinations of people, she runs into her dear old Aunt Tabitha and the ever so grating Karen Brewer, who has taken a special interest in her since she found out she was related to her next door neighbor, and who happens to be shopping with her mother, Lisa, who is apparently, much to Sharon's complete and total annoyance, letting her offspring run around the entire store.

She can sense the headache already, though her aunt thinks that Karen is a wonderfully sweet child, despite the fact that she calls her Morbidda Destiny, and actually calls the child over to them! Of course, Karen obliges, likely thinking that she'll have a spell put on her if she doesn't. She lets out a sigh.

"Hello Morbidda Destiny and Mrs. Spier! How are you, today? I am well. Mommy and I are grocery shopping because this month is a Little House month, which means I do not live at the Big House with Daddy, Elizabeth, Kristy, Sam, David Michael, and Emily Michelle! Did you know that I am a Two-Two? Two years ago my teacher, Mrs. Colman, read us a wonderful book called "Jacob Two Two and the Hooded Fang" and that is how I came up with the name to describe me and Andrew! I miss having you live at the Big House, Mrs. Spier! Is it true that you are having a baby and if so may I baby sit it? I wish to be the best babysitter in the world, like Kristy is!"

Fortunately, Karen paused for breath. She shot her aunt a pleading look. This was all her fault, anyways! She was pregnant, she didn't need to be annoyed!

"Karen, where is Lisa?"  
"Mommy told me to go look around the store! I think I am giving her a headache!"

Sharon could hardly imagine why.

"When you get older, okay?"  
"Really? Oh, thank you, Mrs. Spier! You are the best! I hope that you have a girl so I can teach her how to play Lovely Ladies!"  
"That would be nice..."  
"It would be! Oh, Mommy, why are you here? Did Morbidda Destiny tell you where I was? Mrs. Spier lived with us at the Big House when her house burned down after Kristy graduated from eighth grade! It was great fun!"

That was one way of putting it...

"Karen? It was really nice to see you, but I have to go, okay?"  
"Okay, Mrs. Spier! Tell Mary Anne and Dawn and Mr. Spier that I said hello, please! I hope that Mary Anne babysits for me soon!"  
"I will, honey."

Karen beamed at her and skipped off, chatting with her mother about something. She shook her head.

"Thanks a lot, Auntie Tab."  
"Karen likes you!"  
"She thinks you're a witch and she is starting fourth grade!"  
"She just has an imagination!"

Sharon sighed.


End file.
